Why is my thermostat changing? PGE adjusts home temperatures during peak hours

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- If you’re a Portlander with air conditioning who is used to keeping your thermostat low through the summer months, you may be in for a surprise Monday evening.

Portland General Electric will soon begin adjusting home temperatures for those enrolled in the Smart Thermostat program. This means the electric company has the ability to take over your regular settings during peak energy hours.

Monday’s “Peak Time Event” will take place between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.

This comes after PGE says there were more than 6,000 heat-related outages over Fourth of July weekend.

“Your thermostat will pre-cool your home during the hour before the event starts, when energy demand is lower, and then it will adjust 1 to 3 degrees during the Peak Time Event, to reduce strain on the grid when energy demand is high,” according to PGE.

Thermostats will return to their regular settings once the event ends.

The settings can be overridden by those in the home, but doing so may cancel the credits available to customers who successfully maintain the settings. Those who participate in at least half of the “Peak Time Event” hours during the summer season can expect to get full credit.

“You’re always in control of your comfort. Your health and safety come first when it comes to shifting energy use,” PGE officials said.

Smart Thermostat and Peak Time Rebates are both part of PGE’s “demand response” program, which aims to reduce power usage when extreme weather events take place – typically between the hours of 3 p.m. and 9 p.m.

"Sometimes people think 'oh well it's just a couple degrees in my home, what difference can I make?' The answer is you can make a huge difference because you and dozens of others are making those little changes," said John Farmer with PGE.

Farmer says 200 thousand PGE customers are enrolled in programs like these.

“These programs help alleviate overall stress on the electrical system when the hottest part of a day coincides with the highest peak demand,” the company said.

When energy use places too high of a demand on the power grid, power outages are more likely to occur. PGE officials recommend having an outage kit prepared just in case.

To reduce energy use throughout the day, avoid using heat-producing appliances (like ovens or dryers) or charging electric vehicles during peak hours. If you have an air conditioning unit, try to keep the temperature as high as you comfortably can and only run it when you are home.

PGE also recommends turning off your AC unit and opening windows overnight to allow cool air back inside.